Coffin-plate



UNITED STATES PATENT EEICE.

JOHN HENRY SPICER, OF HARRISBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

COFFIN-PLATE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 400,963, dated April 9,1889.

Application led May 10, 1888. Serial No. 273,467. (No model.)

.T0 all whom t 71ml/ concern,a

Be it known that I, JOHN HENRY SPICER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Harrisburg, in the county of Dauphin and State ofPennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inCoffin- Plates; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, andexact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilledin the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and figuresof reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvementsiircoffiii-plates; and it has for its object to provide a simple,ornamental, and yet inexpensive plate for coffins and burial-cases,which is more especially adapted for use upon childrens coffins.

To these ends and to such others as the invention may relate the saineconsists in the construction and arrangement of parts, all as more fullyhereinafter described, shown in the drawings, and pointed out in theappended claim.

The invention is clearly illustrated in the accompanying drawings,which, with the letters of reference marked thereon, form a part of thisspecification, and in which- Figure l is a perspective view of acoffinplate constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is across-section of the same.

Reference now being had to the details of the drawings by letter, Arepresents a block, which maybe of either wood or met-a1, which formsthe body of the plate. In practice -I prefer to make this block of wood,and of either square or rectangular form, as shown, though it will be atonce evident that in either of these respects the same may be variedWithout departing from -the spirit of my invention, as, if for anyreason it should be considered as desirable, the block may be made ofmetal or other suitable material, and the form may be modified -asdesired.

The design or inscription which is to appear upon the face of the plateis either worked, stamped, or otherwise affixed to the lsurface of asuitable strip of silk or other fabric, and this fabric containing thedesign or inscription is drawn over the block A, and the edges arepassed over the edges of the block and secured upon the lower face ofthe saine in any suitable manner.

B B are strips of either wood or metal, which may be' beveled, as shownin the drawings, and may be made of any ornamental design that may bedesired. These strips are mitered at their ends, so as to closelyTembrace the central block, A, and form a frame or border for the same.rlhe strips Bmay be covered with plush, silk, or other suitable fabric,and by using as a covering for the strips `a -material of a colordifferentfrom that of the covering of the central block a very pleasingeffect is produced.

C is a thin strip of any suitable material secured to the back of theplate, where it serves to cover the edges of the material used incovering the central block, and at the same time forms a fiat and evensurface for the back of the plate, adapting it to be fitted neatly uponthe top of the coffin or casket.

D D are ornamental screws or nails, which are passed through the plateand serve to securethe same to the coffin.

Importance is attached to the strip C, which serves a double function,that of forming a flat bearing for the device upon a coffin, and also ofholding the parts together,

being secured to the central blocks and to lall of the strips B, andpreventing the separation of the strips from the central blocks, whichwould otherwise occur, and thus spoil the appearance of the device. Itwill also be seen that the covering` of the central block extends only ashort distance under the same, leaving, when the strip C is in place, anair-space, a, as seen in Fig. 2, which tends to aid materially inpreventing the separation of the parts from shrinkage.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim to be new is- As animproved article of manufacture, the herein-described coffinplate,consisting of the central block, A, the fabric having affixed thereon aninscription or design stretched B, covm'ed with fabric, und thc strip C,secured to The lmtimu OI Said Mock and to the 5 bottom of all of Smidstrips, with u1 air-Space, (L, lmtweon said :strip C :md the lmtiom of11h@ cmxwml block, Subsinlltally :1S Shown, :md fol' the pm'lmsospciiol'.

Witncssos:

E. .'I'. FAGER,

NV. Iflpmlilima ihcl'oof.' 11cm' the odge, the strips or molding' lpresence of.' two Wilnnescs.

